Zanotti in form at Silverstone, but mixed fortunes at Oulton Park

SUPERBIKE veteran Aaron Zanotti finally managed to show his old form with a pair of sensational races at Silverstone’s British Superbike showdown decider but couldn’t replicate it at Oulton Park the following weekend. Despite several major problems Zanotti was ready by the second of three races at the shortened Siverstone International circuit, telling the Echo, “It wasn’t so much a return to form as much as the fact that we virtually built a new bike in between rounds and it instantly felt normal. It was right.” From the off in Saturday’s race Zanotti, Winfield and Hedger scrapped for dominance, but on lap 5 Zanotti pulled off the track with a blown engine. The Loughborough man went straight in to battle with Hedger and Winfield in the second outing. Hedger retired three laps in leaving the duo to swap places lap after lap. Zanotti eventually got the upper hand after 20 laps but with just five laps remaining again had to pull off the side of the track, his race over, missing out on 19th place. Back on track for the final race, Zanotti and Winfield exchanged places two or three times a lap, passing Hedger three laps in. Zanotti’s power deficit showed itself time and again as he was caught and passed by Winfield at the end of the long finish straight, doggedly regaining the lead lap after lap. Going in to the last lap Winfield got the upper hand but in a desperate move, the local ace rode around the outside of Winfield at Brooklands, stealing the racing line into the last turn. Round Luffield and on to the start/ finish straight Winfield made up ground but Zanotti stole the flag by 0.005 seconds to take 20th spot. One week later at Oulton Park in rapidly changing wet and dry conditions and Zanotti never managed to challenge, retiring four laps into the drenched first race and around the half distance mark in race two. “It was a great relief to have sorted the Kawasaki for Silverstone and I really enjoyed the racing, I had some tremendous battles!” Zanotti told the Echo. “We were worried when our new engine blew, it was the fastest we had and with three straights we needed power, but our back up did a good job on the short circuit. “We have a bike that turns well now, but at Oulton we found some front end feel to go with it on raceday. “On the downside it caused the rear to slide more which was horrendous in the wet and just too slow in the dry.”